Friday Coffee & Bookish Speaks – Am I too old to read YA?

byJessicaonMay 20, 2016

I ” am drinking a fresh roasted coffee from Costa Rica with cream. What are you drinking?

I have wondered many times should I be ashamed to read Ya? I am over thirty years old and the intended audience is not that! I enjoy a good story and YA seems to offer a lot of them. So I overlook the intended age range.

Some things that I don’t like about YA is when the author has explicit sex scenes containing youth. It just creeps me out! I don’t want to read about that. I am not naive enough to think teenagers don’t have sex, I just don’t want it thrown in my face. Though YA romance doesn’t bother me. Though young love is not very realistic it is appealing.

In the end, I can’t tell you why I am drawn to YA. Does it make me feel like I am reliving my youth? A little. Honestly, I got over the age dilemma after the Twilight series. A good story is a good story no matter what the intended audience. So I have to say I got over my shame.

Related

This is such a great topic and I love when it’s brought up. First of all, let me say, you’re not alone in this. I’m turning 27 in July and I sometimes wonder if I should feel strange about reading (and honestly enjoying ) middle grade and young adult books. I think we all have these thoughts at one point.

I read middle grade when I want an adventure that’s not focused on romance. ASTROTWINS (by Mark Kelly) is a series following twin boys Mark and Scott and they use science and math to build jet propulsion spaceships. It’s engaging, fun, and intelligent. When I’m feeling like a swoony book, I turn to YA. I don’t have a specific instance for this, throw a stone and you’ll land on a YA contemp. I do read some adult, but it’s mainly just horror and that’s because I feel YA horror is definitely lacking. I want to feel terrified! Adult books seem stuffy to me. Too grown up. YA and MG are fun and enjoyable. The choice is clear for me and I’ve learned to be proud of it. Life is short, I love to read, I’m going to read what I like to read and not care what the “suggested” age group is.